Curriculum

The curriculum for the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) Residency focuses on developing skills in patient care and obtaining knowledge through didactic teaching. We have arranged the curriculum to ensure a balance between inpatient and outpatient care and learning.

The American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation requires four years of postgraduate training to be eligible for board certification. This includes one year of internship in which the resident acquires basic clinical skills and three years of training in PM&R. Beginning 2022-2023 season, we will be 100% categorical and are expanding to accepting 8 residents per year. We are one of two PM&R residencies in New York State with a categorical program.

All applicants with interest in the PM&R Residency at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai (ISMMS) should apply to both tracks (categorical and advanced). Applicants who wish to be in New York City for all four years and are submitting applications for the advanced program are encouraged to apply to Mount Sinai’s available one-year preliminary Internal Medicine Programs at Mount Sinai West (MSW), The James J Peters Bronx VA, and Elmhurst Hospital Center (EHC).

Categorical residents are considered PM&R residents for all four years of training. They will spend their PGY1 year rotating through a modified Internal Medicine intern year at the ISMMS. A sample block schedule for intern year is as follows:

Mount Sinai PM&R Residency 100% Categorical

We match 10 Categorical Resident Per Year

PGY2 through 4 years are wholly dedicated to PM&R. During this time, you will rotate through four-week block rotations such as pediatric rehabilitation, spinal cord injury, brain injury, electrodiagnosis, and musculoskeletal medicine, in addition to general rehabilitation. Residents receive four months of elective time to focus on developing their specific interests. Training in neurology is provided as part of the curriculum through the spinal cord injury service. Residents are required to complete scholarly work such as a final senior presentation and quality improvement project. Our residents are also encouraged to submit abstracts for presentation at varying conferences.

Residents are assigned a night call on an average of four times a month, with frequency of call weighted by seniority, and night calls decreasing as you advance through the program.

Although the actual order of rotations varies from resident to resident, a typical set of rotations for the three years of PM&R training includes:

During your PGY2 to 4 years of PM&R training, your rotations will be split between The Mount Sinai Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital Center, and the James J. Peters VA Medical Center. Electives may be taken within the Mount Sinai Health System or at outside facilities.

Resident supervision is provided by the full-time and part-time medical staff of each affiliated hospital. Residents are usually assigned 10 to 13 patients while rotating through the inpatient units. Senior residents are expected to mentor junior residents. Three senior residents are selected each year, by the faculty and residents, to serve as Chief Residents. The department also sponsors accredited fellowship training programs in spinal cord injury medicine, brain injury medicine, and sports medicine.

Most of our residency program is focused on patient care. However, extensive didactic instruction is provided through formal lecture sessions, conferences, and journal clubs. Weekly lectures cover all areas of rehabilitation. During your PGY3  year of training, you will participate in cadaver dissections of the back and extremities to enhance your knowledge of pertinent anatomy. During the dissection course, you will also be exposed to ultrasound imaging and injection techniques. Financial support is available to residents that are presenting at national conferences, and senior residents are provided with financial support to attend a national PM&R conference of their choosing.